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The San Diego Padres host the Tampa Bay Rays for Game 2 of the 3-game set at Petco Park. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Padres prediction and pick.
The Rays took Game 1 last night in the 6-2 win as Randy Arozarena smashed a 3-run homer in the 5th inning. Shane McClanahan pitched yet another gem as he allowed four hits and one run across 6.2 innings. The Rays improved to (51-22) on the season and own the top record in baseball by 5.5 games. They have a 6-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles for the division and are 16 games ahead of the Padres.
San Diego is (33-36) on the season and have lost two straight games. They are coming off a series win over the Cleveland Guardians as the offense seemed to have turned things around. It's never easy facing the AL CY Young favorite, so the Friars hope to bounce back against Zach Eflin tonight. The Padres are only 5.5 games ahead of the Colorado Rockies for last in the NL West. Blake Snell faces his former team for the first time tonight.
Here are the Rays-Padres MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Padres Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+146)
San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-178)
Over: 8.5 (-102)
Under: 8.5 (-120)
How To Watch Rays vs. Padres
TV: FOX
Stream: FOX App
Time: 7:10 ET/4:10 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
Zach Eflin gets the nod for the Rays and is continuing his elite season. The former Phillie is (8-2) on the season with a 3.28 ERA in 71.1 innings. However, on the road, it's a different story. The right-hander has a 5.53 ERA in five starts away from Tropicana Field. Petco Park is a pitcher's park, so he should find his groove out there. In his last start against the Oakland A's, he allowed four runs in just 4.2 innings. Both of Eflin's losses are on the road.
Wander Franco and Arozarena continue to dominate the league. Franco leads the league in WAR at 3.9 as everything he foes helps this team win. He has a .299 batting average and 23 stolen bases on the season. Franco also leads the Rays in total bases at 129. Oddly enough, Arzoarena only has eight doubles on the season but leads the team with 13 homers and 48 RBIs. Expect those two to continue to do damage against a southpaw tonight.
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
Starting for the Padres is Blake Snell. When the Padres traded for Snell a few seasons back, this is what they were expecting. The lefty is coming off one of the best starts of his career. Last week in Colorado, he allowed just one run in three hits in 7.0 innings. Snell also struck out 12 Rockies and would have stayed in the game if he didn't take a liner off the leg at the end of the 7th inning. In his last four starts, Snell has allowed just two runs combined while striking out 33 batters. On the season, the southpaw has a 3.78 ERA with 82 K's and a WHIP of 1.33. The Friars desperately need another dominant outing from Snell tonight as he tries to beat his old team.
The offense for the Friars is inconsistent. They have figured it out over the last few weeks thanks to newly signed Gary Sanchez. His six homers in less than 15 games with the team have been a huge boost for them. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto are providing much of the offense for the Padres lately alongside Sanchez. However, Soto, Sanchez, and Manny Machado finished a combined 0-11 in Game 1. That must change if the Padres want any chance of covering this spread at home.
Final Rays-Padres Prediction & Pick
I expect the Padres to keep this one closer and cover at home in almost a must-win situation. The teams above in the division are getting further and further ahead, so SD needs to string together some wins before it's too late.
Final Rays-Padres Prediction & Pick: Padres +1.5 (-178); Under 8.5 (-120)
